Seven Deadly Sins
by Yemam2422
Summary: Rio experiences the seven deadly sins with Beth - wrath, greed, pride, gluttony, lust, envy, sloth. Post 2x13 where Beth knows Rio is alive and they are working together again.


_**Wrath**_

Often, Rio's enemies were nameless and faceless. Vague, mysterious figures trying to move in on his territory. Usually, Rio sent a couple guys to smoke them out, handle them. The situation rarely reaching a point of anything more than irritating.

But this time Beth was in his crosshairs, and he knew her inside and out. This time vengeance and wrath found a permanent place in his body, seeped into his heart. His belief in her, that she was something special, had been so entirely misplaced that he almost lost his life. A red hot fury still flashed through him when he thought about that night. Her holding a gun, the press of her finger on the trigger. Not once but three times. He gritted his teeth at how he handed Beth a chance to get rid of her ultimate rotten egg, but instead she left him bleeding to death.

Rio had a score to settle and nothing was off limits in his path of destruction. In his line of work, an eye-for-an-eye was the code of ethics. But there was a fine line between being evil and being a good business person, and Beth could still help him. He had to be careful to not let his wrath consume him, cloud his vision, devour his soul. So he took out his anger at the gym, rebuilding his broken body, the punching bag absorbing the darkness from inside him, keeping the toxic hate fumes from suffocating him.

Beth was not worth it. But money was.

_**Greed**_

Money, money and more money. It was the bloodline of Rio's whole operation, and he never had enough of it. So when he stormed back into Beth's life, demanding a higher and higher percentage, it was with an insatiable thirst to take it all back from her. There were consequences to betrayal after all.

But as Rio watched his workers cut and stack money, there was a greedy sensation deep in his chest of wanting more, of not being satisfied, of money not being enough. He looked at Beth, stationed in her corner of the warehouse, her craft store now the front for their money laundering. She wasn't happy to no longer be in control, but Rio held the keys to everything she wanted - power and money - so luring her back into working with him was easy. At least once she got over the shock of him being alive.

It was easy to slip up when you wanted something really badly. You bent a little, compromised, maybe lost focus. Like sometimes when he thought about Beth, the gunshots echoed in his mind and he remembered his purpose, his priorities. Other times it was the hot sex, her hands all over his body, the softness of her curves, the feeling of being inside her.

He had a hard time shaking those thoughts. But he had to. He had an empire to run after all.

_**Pride**_

Rio got to where he was, running a criminal empire, by being the alpha male, the one in charge. His pride wouldn't allow him to be anywhere else but the top. So he hated having to ask Beth for help, to come to Vegas with him to get a deal done.

"No. Find someone else," Beth said, not even looking up from the color coordinated notes she was jotting on her calendar.

"I would," he said, annoyance creeping into his voice, twitching at his lips. As if he hadn't thought of that already. As if Beth wasn't the last person he wanted to ask. "But our contact in Vegas asked for you. He heard about your…reputation and would like to meet you in person." _Bring the babe everyone is talking about and we can talk_. Rio didn't have to ask who he meant. He didn't work with that many people who fell into the category of babe.

He knew the compliment would get Beth's attention. She put her pen down, unable to hide the proud smirk tugging at her lips.

Rio rarely shared the inside details of his business with anyone. He preferred to keep everything in his control, manage it himself. It was a blow to his ego to need Beth like this, but this deal was a game changer. Expanding into a whole new city was a major opportunity, meant major money.

"Ten percent extra," he said. Beth knew the numbers involved. Ten percent from this one deal would cover almost half a year of what they were pulling in Detroit.

"Twenty."

"Fifteen."

"Deal."

There it was. That look, that sparkle in her eye from a successful deal that made his pride flare up in another way, a tinge of arousal too. He might need Beth to get this job done but Rio was the one who taught her how to be a boss, to negotiate, to set limits. At one point he even thought about sharing more of his world with her. But none of that mattered anymore.

But he reminded himself to be careful. Beth was his achilles heel and when she looked at him like she did now, it made him think about doing things with her, to her. Forbidden things.

_**Gluttony **_

Las Vegas was called Sin City for a reason. Excess and fantasy blended together in a way that gave people permission to do bad things, to indulge in the forbidden.

Everything happened quickly the moment they landed, barely a chance to catch their breath. A car met them, took them to a hotel where they were led to an elevator that opened into the penthouse suite.

The meeting was brief and successful, terms quickly agreed on. Rio's track record was well known, spoke for itself. And Beth was the perfect partner. Adding a layer of sweetness while Rio played hardball.

The best part of a closed deal wasn't just the money. It was the high, the rush of adrenaline. And that's what carried Beth and Rio into the night as they took in the excess around every corner, basked in the brilliant glow of the millions of sparkling lights along the strip. Buffets competed to serve the most food, casinos claimed the biggest jackpot, shiny marquees promoted the most spectacular shows featuring the most spectacular stars.

Rio's instinct was to fly back to Detroit right away, to not push his luck at how well everything had gone, to not be around Beth more than he needed to. But as he had done seemingly from day one with her, he did the opposite. He took her dinner.

"Let's celebrate," Rio said. When Beth scrunched her eyebrows, confused by his kindness, Rio smiled, a shy half smile. He had manners. When someone helped you, you thanked them. So they went to dinner. Not just a regular dinner. A twelve course dinner at the Bellagio. And they indulged themselves, filled themselves with hors d'oeuvres, marinated salmon, tomato soup with goat cheese, gnocchi, salad greens, fish, duck, sorbet with prosecco, venison, cheese and chutney, pomegranate terrine, and mini creme brûlée,

"This is sinful," Beth said, taking a final bite before setting down her fork, her dessert barely half finished.

"Marcus says there's always room for dessert."

"My kids, too," Beth said with a laugh. For a moment they were the same, two parents with kids who had bottomless stomachs for sweets. It was moments like this when Rio felt a door sliding open, inviting them further into each other's worlds. Their gazes locked, heat flickered between them. Rio looked away first, not willing to acknowledge anything more than business was going on.

Afterward, Rio took Beth to a high roller craps table and was only temporarily surprised when Beth easily claimed her spot around the rambunctious crowd, throwing her chips in without hesitation. He got lost in the moment with her, feeding off the energy as she won three rolls in a row. He let the warm glow of his drink set in, a waitress bringing endless rounds - bourbon for her, vodka for him. Or maybe it was the warmth of how close Beth was standing next to him.

Rio had no good reason to invite her to his hotel room after she cashed in her chips, at least not one he was willing to say out loud. But he did. Told her the view from his balcony was amazing. Which it was. It was her first time in Vegas. She had to get a top-floor view of the strip. When Beth didn't hesitate, responded with a giddy _"oooh"_ he opened the door for her and watched her lean against the railing, the breeze sweeping through her hair.

"You're smiling," he said when he noticed the rare expression.

Beth turned to him, looked at him with all her attention.

"I'm just thinking about what Annie and Ruby would say if they could see me. We've always wanted to do a girls weekend in Vegas."

"You should come back. I'll set you guys up."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course."

And when her smile became full blown, scrunched her nose, reached her eyes, Rio felt that tingle in his chest again, that magnetic pull of attraction.

_**Lust**_

Attraction was an interesting thing. The chemicals behind it, the way everything swirled together into an intoxicating mix of desire and lust.

This was one of those moments. The molecules and cells that created the energy between them took on a new shape, went from a simmer to boiling over. It happened before. When Beth called him an idiot, when she got him arrested, when he shot her husband, when they met in a bathroom, when she offered to make him a sandwich.

Ever since they started working together again, Rio avoided touching Beth, getting too close, resisted pushing her hair away from her face even though his fingers itched with the urge. It was too dangerous, turned him upside down, weakened his barriers, made him think about that afternoon in her bedroom when he imagined something so different between them. He didn't want to give in to those images or memories. But this time he couldn't resist.

He stepped closer, got into her space as she leaned against the balcony railing. He kept his eyes on her as he took another step closer, then waited. For her signal that she felt what he did. When her saw her tell - the slight parting of her lips, the soft rush of breath - he pulled her to him by her waist. Her hands went to his shoulders, her fingers restless as if unsure where to stay.

Rio was a man of control and discipline. But with Beth, desire unspooled in ways that were foreign to him. It made his head fuzzy, his body vibrate, his body tight with tension. Rational thought seemed to crumble, reasons to stop slipped away like sand through his fingers. He might regret it later, but right now his only thought was how much he wanted Beth. Rio lightly nipped her lips, tasted hints of bourbon. That small touch was all it took to feel like every part of him was on fire, all through his blood and bones. He kissed her again. This time hard and greedy. In seconds they were both frantic, Rio leading them tangled together back into the hotel room, to the bed.

The world faded around them as his mouth and fingers explored the flesh that called out for him, settled between her legs. He moved possessively, hungrily, like he wanted to own her body. He locked eyes with her, watched as pleasure drifted over her face when he thrust inside her, slow, hard, deep. He watched as she reacted to the pace, to the sensations building and spreading. When Beth started trembling from her orgasm, clutching at his back, digging her nails into him, Rio could no longer focus, no longer keep his eyes open, no longer fight giving in to her.

Rio's head felt cloudy as his orgasm faded away. Beth was some kind of drug and if he wasn't careful he would get addicted. He needed to root himself back in the real world, the world where Beth shot him, not a world fueled by lust.

Rio couldn't let that line blur, too many things in his life were on the line.

_**Envy**_

Rio had certain things in his life that might make someone say he had it all. His son, of course, the only thing that truly mattered. He had money and power, and the luxuries that those things afforded.

But there was still something he envied, a fantasy he sometimes brought to life in the secrecy of his mind. The details varied a little but the for the most part it involved the small moments that came from building a life with someone he was madly in love with. Holding hands, cooking a meal together, Rio doing the dishes to make up for his lack of culinary skills, falling asleep together on the couch, maybe adopting a dog. It all sounded so simple, he saw it everyday from couples walking around, but being with him required huge sacrifice, required navigating complicated layers.

At one point not too long ago, Beth was the person he imagined holding his hand. On the outside they looked like complete opposites, but deep down they were so much the same. If he squinted to blur the edges of how they existed in the world, he could imagine them as a couple, king and queen. But they weren't. She was a soccer mom-turned-drug dealer who tried to kill him. And he was a gang leader who refused to get fooled by her ever again.

They hadn't seen each other much since returning from Vegas, and of course they hadn't talked about what happened, how they slept together. That's not what they did, how they worked. So when he stopped by her corner of the warehouse to drop off paperwork he was surprised by the conversation he found Beth, Annie and Ruby having. He agreed to give them a section of the warehouse to manage their side of the business, no nameplates needed to know which desk belonged to who. Beth's was meticulously organized. Ruby's was neat with more attention to decorative flourishes. Annie's looked like a tornado hit it.

"So how was your date, Beth?" Rio heard Annie ask. He stuttered for just a step, surprised by the instant burst of jealousy that flared through his body.

"Yes, Elizabeth. I would _love_ to hear about your date."

All three of them turned to look at him as he approached from behind. Beth froze for a second before she replied, waving off the question.

"It was fine."

"Are you going to see him again?" Annie asked, noticing the sharp glances between her sister and Rio, but not letting that stop her line of questioning. It was fun to stir the pot sometimes.

"We haven't made plans. And let's move on to another topic."

"Ladies, please," Rio said with a smirk, an edge to his voice. "Don't let me stop you from your water cooler gossip. This is an open work environment. What else do we want to know about Elizabeth's date? Did he hit it good?"

He looked directly at Beth with his question, watched her intently. She stared right back at him.

"That's none of your business."

"That bad, huh?"

"Jealous?"

There was so much sass in Beth's voice Rio couldn't help but smile. He was about to keep going, to dig deep under Beth's skin, when he noticed Annie and Ruby. The two of them perched against Beth's desk, mesmerized by the scene in front of them. Ruby wide-eyed and still like a deer in headlights, Annie popping Skittles into her mouth from the stash she kept at her desk as if watching a movie.

Rio cleared his throat, threw the folder he'd been holding onto Ruby's desk. It was rare but he was suddenly struck with the idea of taking a day off, of having zero obligations for just even eight hours, of not having to see or deal with or feel anything related to Beth.

For once in his life he wanted to turn off his brain and be lazy.

_**Sloth**_

Rio realized he'd been too quick to underestimate the power of being lazy, at least every once in a while, of sleeping in, wearing sweatpants all day, having ice cream for lunch and cereal for dinner.

He did nothing productive, but in the quiet of his apartment, in between Netflix binges and naps he found his thoughts drifting to Beth, specifically to the moment when she left her pearls for him, asking to be part of his world.

Rio closed his eyes in frustration. This day was supposed to be about everything except work and Beth. If his grandma were here, she'd give him a figurative smack upside the head, strong kick in the ass and tell him to get over it, get over her. She would also tell him to trust his instincts.

And Rio's instinct told him that happily ever after didn't exist. That was just a fairy tale. But, finally with some quiet, he paid attention to the voice in his head. The one telling him that falling in love with anyone was a gamble. Falling in love with Beth could be dangerous. But he was starting to see how she fit in his life, how he wanted her there. From the very beginning he had gotten her, understood her, knew her. She was strong and smart and sexy. Underneath that she was kind and vulnerable too. Most importantly, she challenged him. And that's what made her perfect.

At the end of Rio's lazy day he had clarity and a plan. For making this thing between Beth and him into something real, something meaningful.

He would have to be lazy more often.


End file.
